And Aurite, found alongside it in those same deposits, resembled Aurom on the surface but had entirely different physical properties, making it almost worthless for industrial purposes.

Taken on its own, it was a mineral of no value, but since traces of Aurom were found in the surrounding strata in some cases, certain prospectors called it ‘the devil’s shadow.’

‘In the past few years, no new Aurom mines were discovered….’

Aurom was an extraordinarily rare and costly mineral, and at present it was mined from deposits owned by the Fenhaven royal family.

But the count spoke of a recently purchased mine, which, thinking conservatively, gave reason for skepticism.

‘Could Count Wilroy have made a dangerous investment?’

By the rigorous education Louis received from distinguished scholars before his health declined, Aurom formed only under specific geological conditions.

High pressure, high temperature, and rare metallic elements all had to act in concert, and such conditions were rare enough to count on one hand across the entire continent.

Louis organized his thoughts calmly.

‘The discovery of Aurite does mean there is geological potential for Aurom. But….’

That possibility was statistically extremely slim.

And even then, most cases turned out to be worthless minerals with a similar crystalline structure, not Aurom at all.

‘Purchasing a mine. This is a gamble.’

Louis thought skeptically.

‘Is Count Willloy a simple speculator, or a dreamer?’

For a mid-ranking county, a new mine investment would be a considerable burden.

From what he heard, the Wilroy County had a reputation for being neither wealthy nor poor.

It wasn’t his family’s affair, so it wasn’t his place to say anything, but the fact that Julia was tied to it made it sit uneasily with him.

Still, worrying about it at his level would change nothing.

He was, after all, just a child, and this was a matter for adults.

In the end, Louis said nothing.

He simply took the silver pebble and felt its cool surface in his palm.

“…Thank you. How is your brother?”

Louis asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

“He’s a little better, they say.”

Julia smiled brightly.

“The fever that kept him up all night broke yesterday, and Mother cried. From happiness.”

Julia’s younger brother, Vincent, two years her junior, suffered from a rare and cruel incurable illness called ‘black circulation disease.’

The name itself was never mentioned directly, but it was a conclusion Louis inferred from the symptoms Julia described in her chatter.

‘Black circulation disease,’ when it developed in infancy, was a condition in which microscopic crystals formed in the blood and obstructed circulation. It was characterized by recurring abdominal pain, high fever, and dark discoloration near the heart.

As it worsened, paralysis, fainting, and convulsions followed.

In common knowledge, if left untreated, it led slowly to death, but for Vincent, the heir of Wilroy County who received the most devoted care, that was not an immediate concern.

“That’s good.”

Louis said plainly, and Julia nodded.

“Yes! And look at this! We’re a matching pair!”

Julia held up the silver pebbles with their engraved initials and placed them side by side.

J and L sat neatly together.

“So we are….”

The two of them looked on in silence for a moment, each turning their pebble over in their hands.

“…Thank you for the gift.”

“I already said so. I’m glad Lou likes it!”

In the bright morning sunlight, Julia’s smile lit up everything around her.

***

“Lou, Lou!”

Julia trotted after Louis on her short legs, arms swinging wide as she went.

The hem of her light skirt swayed gently between the low blades of grass, and small pebbles crunched softly underfoot with every step.

Louis turned and gave an awkward smile.

“Julia, come slowly. You’ll fall.”

But Julia ran faster and came to stand beside him.

She was breathless, but her eyes sparkled.

“You, you’re too fast. You should wait for me. Should I wear trousers like Lou?”

Louis paused.

Then he shook his head firmly.

“A skirt suits you better.”

There was a time when Julia came wearing trousers a few times, saying she wanted to dress like Louis, but she seemed to find them uncomfortable and went back to skirts.

Louis sighed and held out his hand.

“Here.”

Julia took it firmly.

Her fingertips were warm.

“Okay. Don’t rush so much. Lou is tall.”

“You’re the one who’s small.”

“Hmph. I’ve been drinking lots of milk…. Why am I still the same?”

Julia grumbled in playful protest.

During their quiet walk, Louis didn’t let go of Julia’s hand.

Her small, warm fingertips were better than the early morning.

***

It was around the time it seemed the utterly peaceful, tranquil days might go on forever.

“Young Master Louis.”

Sion, his personal guard, came forward with a serious expression and held out a letter.

“What is it?”

Louis, who was languidly sipping a medicinal herb bath after lunch, raised his head.

“News from the main house, sir. It arrived urgently.”

Louis broke the wax seal and read the contents, then frowned.

“It says my brother is in critical condition….”

A few days prior, word came that his older brother Lawrence took a fall from his horse.

He was attending the autumn hunting festival as a close aide to First Prince Philip when the accident occurred.

“Yes. They say Lord Lawrence’s fever has set in. Just to be safe, you must prepare to return today.”

“Today? That’s very sudden….”

Louis hesitated and wavered, and Sion said firmly,

“It may be a matter of urgency. We will depart this evening.”

***

“Around this time, it would be the hour for a bath, wouldn’t it?”

One afternoon, as steam from the hot spring rose and slowly dissolved into the air, Julia came out to the garden at a leisurely pace.

She had gone out for a walk in her usual light clothing, so no one from the house followed her.

In the basket she carried, she had packed cookies and scones, thinking Lou might want to eat them.

Julia slipped out through the edge of the Wilroy house garden and quickened her steps, eager to see Lou as soon as possible.

“Lou!”

The moment she stepped onto familiar ground, Julia called out brightly and waved.

Lou was sitting in the armchair, which was unusual.

The cashmere blanket was still on her lap, but something about the atmosphere felt slightly different.

Lou had always been a person of few expressions.

But today it was especially stiff and rigid.

Sensing something off, Julia tilted her head.

“Is it not the time for a bath?”

“Not today.”

Lou’s quiet, subdued answer made Julia uneasy all of a sudden, and she blinked.

“Then, are you doing it tomorrow?”

“No.”

Something was wrong.

Today, of all days, she couldn’t read any emotion or expression at all.

“Lou…?”

“I’m sorry. I’m leaving today.”

Julia stopped breathing for a moment.

In the air where faint wisps of steam rose from the open-air hot spring, Lou’s words sounded far too strange.

Like a farewell from someone who would never return.

“You’re leaving…?”

Julia’s voice trembled, thin as a whisper.

“Yes.”

“Do you really have to go?”

Lou slowly raised his head.

When the afternoon sunlight touched her eyes, those violet irises shimmered like jewels.

Julia loved Lou’s amethyst-like eyes.

The bloodless, snow-white skin too, and the pale, delicate red lips.

Like a finely crafted doll, they were truly beautiful to look at, and whenever they were together, Julia would lose track of time just gazing at her.

She loved everything: the beautiful face, the quiet but meticulous nature.

Beautiful Lou, who simply by being there made happiness rise on its own.

“…Mm.”

Lou closed his eyes briefly, then gave a small nod.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.”

The parting from a beloved playmate came without warning.

Just as on any other day, when Julia had set out with her herb basket in hand and crossed the garden and grounds with a cheerful step, the quiet neighbor from the open-air hot spring resort, Lou, said in her cool, detached way,

“I’m leaving Pearl Springs and going back to the capital. Someone in my family was hurt. Very badly.”

Lou’s white, pretty fingers gripped the edge of the soft cashmere blanket tightly.

He looked like he was enduring something.

The silver hair with the texture of moonlight, and those clear, vivid amethyst eyes, grew quietly, sorrowfully dim.

“I have to go now. It’s time to return to my family.”

“Lou….”

Julia was too flustered to say anything.

That Lou, who had become so dear to her, would leave overnight was something she never once imagined.

She tried to say something, but her mind went completely blank and her throat felt blocked, and not a single word came out.

While she stood there hesitating, a powerfully built adult man approached.

Lou’s guard.

She had seen him a few times before.

He leaned close to Lou’s ear and murmured something softly.

Then, with the intention to be heard, he spoke aloud.

“The carriage is ready. It is time to depart.”

Lou nodded with a look of resignation, then held out her hand toward Julia.

A child’s hand still, but white and fine, beautiful as carved stone.

Julia stared at that hand in a daze.

A sudden farewell. She couldn’t believe it.

When Julia didn’t move, Lou’s hand came closer, took hers, and gave it a small shake.

“…I’ll be going.”

Julia stood as though frozen, staring blankly at the retreating figure as it left.

For a long, long time.

And so, that day, Lou left.

The neighbor, the older sister, the friend of the same age, the companion to talk to, the one person outside her family she had grown close to. Lou left the resort and went to the capital.

‘I wanted to tell her not to go….’

Julia stared blankly at the empty open-air hot spring grounds with wide, scarlet eyes.

The armchair that had always been there, the steam and rippling water of the hot spring, all remained just as they were in the place where that small presence had vanished. But Lou was gone.